EDCI338

            One of the perks of being a Digital Learner in the 21^st Century is the freedom to think of ways to get information, to try different strategies that can make your learning meaningful, and to explore technology for the sake of learning. One way of utilizing today’s technology for sake of learning is through Personal Learning Network also known as PLN. Creating and maintaining PLNs is not an easy thing to do. This is because aside from its benefits, using PLN has its corresponding risks to. For instance, since any random person can join a PLN, that person may spread false information and since the information has been handed down from one person to another, it would be hard to track where the false information originated. Also, if ever the moderators or administrators of PLN were able to identify the source of information, knowing the real identity of the user would be challenging. Given these risks, I would say that I am satisfied that I found myself enrolled in EDCI 338 class because it honed my critical thinking and interpersonal skills –skills which could be beneficial for my professional practice.

            Managing my PLN taught me to improve my critical thinking skills because before believing in a certain information posted or shared in my PLN, I first make it sure to check the credibility of the information posted or shared and check the reliability of the source of the information. Unreliable information is comparable to the negative posts discussed by Erik Qualman in “Empower Others.” Just like negative posts, unreliable information “are just a small part of an overall story.” For this reason, learners do not have to be afraid of unreliable information online when using their PLNs. Checking the credibility and reliability of sources is a manifestation of one’s critical thinking skills. Critical thinking skills is not only important when it comes to looking for information but it can also be deemed necessary when someone shares an information. In sharing information via PLN, it is not enough that learners just “parrot” everything that they have read from the book or learned from their teachers.

            In addition to improving my critical thinking skills, using PLN also taught me how to deal with different people. My PLN is composed of different members with different personalities, beliefs, perspectives, opinions, and cultural backgrounds. For this reason, even if we are not seeing each other face to face, disagreements still happen. Despite the problems that could arise, establishing partnership with different people in one’s PLN would still be the best option. For instance, Magic Johnson surrounded himself with good basketball players in the court so he could win (Qualman). The same thing is true for PLN learners, they need to surround themselves with interested learners in order to have a meaningful learning experience. To avoid conflicts, PLN users need to interact with each other effectively. If PLN members are debating on a certain issue, they should still be respectful of one another’s point of view.

            To sum it all up, I would say that the critical thinking and interpersonal skills I learned from EDCI 338 are skills that I could further explore and hone in my professional practice. As an economist, it is really necessary for me to double check the reliability of information or else my data analysis would be senseless. Relying my analysis on faulty data would be a waste of time and effort. Also, as an economist, I need to work with different people including the bosses as well as the clients. In working with them, I should know how to genuinely express my interest with them so we could work at ease.

Work Cited

Qualman, Erik. “Chapter 16: Empower Others.” Digital Leader: 5 Simple Keys to Success and Influence, McGraw Hill Professional, 2012.

• Consider how you can use the PLN interactions of this course to further your digital identity post-term.

Looking back, I would say that this course really helped me out when it comes to my PLN interactions. Before, my PLN interactions are just random but now, my PLN interactions are charged with intention. To further my digital identity post-term, I will make it sure to interact with people online who I think can give me idea on how I could be an effective and relevant economist in the 21^st century. After all, Rodrigues and Beefun stated that digital literacy and digital identity allow actions and creations of social network that can be an ideal breeding ground for collaborative learning (cited in Oliveira & Morgado 468). This means that in my PLN interactions, I will make it sure that the people I am interacting with would also learn something from me. I would not like it if I am the only one benefitting in my PLN. Of course, it would be better if I am also helping others out in my PLN. Thus, in my PLN interactions I am both a learner and a teacher.

• What does it mean to have a digital identity in your industry of choice?

In the article written by Oliveira and Morgado, Digital Identity is “understood as the total information about the individual, from credentials that allow access to the closed system, to the representation of the complex “I” in an open digital space (469). In my industry of choice, which is Economics, I believe that having a digital identity means being a reliable source of information on economics online. When my PLN members would see my name online, the very first thing that would come into their mind is that I major in Economics so therefore, the information that I am sharing online with regard to economics must be reliable. I would say that this is not only true in the field of Economics. When a media personality is also sharing news in their timeline, the PLN members already assume that whatever that media personality is sharing is not some kind of fake news.

• Can your current PLN be used to help professional development post-course?

One of the features of PLN according to Oliveira and Morgado is that it allows learning through practice, dialogue, and interaction (472). In line with this, when someone visits my timeline or my profile, they would see my online engagements as evidences of my learning. In addition to this, they would also see the efforts that I am taking in order to get the information I want. Given the idea that my PLN can show evidences of my growth and learning, I could share my PLN to my prospective employers to give them an idea on how I work and deal with other people. Thus, I could use my PLN for my professional development.  

• Additionally, as you progress through the steps of your career, can your PLN be relied on to open professional opportunities?

I would say that my PLN can be considered reliable when it comes to professional opportunities because my PLN members are composed of professionals. Engaging with various professional can help me build my network and earning their trust would help me earn recommendation. Just last time, I had an opportunity to have a discussion with one of my PLN members. During our discussion I mentioned that I am a graduating student and so he congratulated me and told me that if I needed help looking for a company, I could contact him. I felt happy after our conversation because all I did was sit in front of my computer and start a conversation with someone.

Works Cited

Oliveira, Nuno R., and Lina Morgado. “Digital Identity of Researchers and Their Personal Learning Network.” Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2014, pp. 467-475, link-springer-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-3-319-07485-6.pdf.

1. What is media literacy?

With most of the information being readily provided by the media, it is important for educators and parents to focus on the “proper” way the younger generation can use media for because too much information can be to overwhelming for media users (Miller 3:15). Media literacy pertains to the way people use media to deliver message to particular audiences (Fadel and Trilling). In creating information in media, one must not only be knowledgable on creating information but he/she should also be knowledgable on different forms of media like print, graphics, animation, audio, video, and etc.  

• Why is it important?

Media literacy is important because some information can be misleading. In other words, there is plurality of truths in media that it makes it hard for media to users to recognize the truth that they could believe in. Just as Julie Smith put it, fact-finding in media is entirely up to the users so they should know how to analyze information (Smith 4:45). If users do not know how to filter information on their own, they would not be able to make sense of the information and they might develop this false idea that media is not that useful in learning at all.

• Why is it dismissed?

One of the reasons that media literacy is being dismissed is because of ignorance. When people talk about media, the very first thing that people would think about is entertainment. Because of this, people are not really being careful with the information being presented to them through media. Another reason that it is dismissed is because of fear. According to Julie Smith, one of the reasons that she is invited to do a talk for students is because the parents would like to ask her for advice on how they could ask their sons and daughters to stay away from social media or stop playing video games likes Fortnite (Miller 9:59). Media is something that should not be feared especially when users can be taught how to be responsible.

• Why should you aim for varied views but the factual consensus in your PLN?

One of the characteristics of media that I like the most is democracy. This means that everyone has the chance to share their own insights or ideas about a certain information. However, this democracy should be practiced with precaution because the negative side is that everyone can share their ideas without proper “screening.” In connection to this, with a lot of information available through media, how would media users know that the information that they are being exposed to is inaccurate? Also, media changes everyday. Just as Julie Smith put it, media is not like Mathematics where 2 plus 2 will always be 4 (Miller 2:20). This makes checking the validity of information in media more challenging.

• Open dialogues about media literacy and factual information can create conflict, why does this happen?

In the short story titled “The Once and Future Kingdom of Learning” shared by Fadel and Trilling, one of the things I learned is that “knowledge” is a double-edged sword. In other words, knowledge can be beneficial and destructive at the same time. I believe that the same thing can be true for open dialogues for media literacy and factual information. This open dialogue can shed light on how media literacy and factual information can be promoted to prevent misinformation. On the other hand, these open dialogues can result to disagreements.

• What is the benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy?

One of the benefits of having a PLN that values literacy is safety. If the PLN members are literate enough to properly use media, then they could guarantee that the information being shared in the PLN is something credible and it is not some kind of a fake news. Because the PLN members feel safe, they will be more encouraged to share information and actively participate in the discussions.

Works Cited

Miller, Jesse. “EDCI 338 A01- Smith, Julie.” YouTube, 1 Nov. 2020, youtu.be/Z_T9RghwJlI.

Trilling, Bernie, and Charles Fadel. “Digital Literacy Skills.” 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times, John Wiley & Sons, 2009.

EDCI 338 Blog 8

1. Explore the video provided and reflect on the themes of a PLN in a professional capacity – how does a PLN give power to messaging for an individual or community?

            To better explain how PLN can give power to messaging for an individual or community, I would like to mention Brad Baker’s experience of using social media. Brad Baker is currently the District Principal of Indigenous Education in North Vancouver School District 44 and as an experienced educator, he is using social media not just to advocate on Indigenous education but to also diversify the learning experience of his students. Social media played an integral role for Baker to positively spread the importance of Indigenous education. This is because without social social media he would not be able to reach a wide audience. Social media also helped him become a “positive” contributor to his community (Miller 5:25-5:30). Without social media, all information on Indigenous community will solely come from the mainstream media that only tell people what they want to tell (Miller 7:43-7:45).

2. Education occurs in so many environments beyond the classroom, how does social media help expand education and associated needed communications?

            In the sixth chapter of Veletsianos’ book, I learned that teachers can use social media encourage learners to have an initiative in learning and become independent learners. For example, teachers instruct their students to participate in social media activities like blogging and social networking (Veletsiano 127). In these kinds of activities, teachers no longer dominate the production of information, but rather, they are also encouraging the learners to produce their own content. This reminded me again of Shelley Moore who said that learners learn better when they collaborate with one another. This means that social media does not only allow learning beyond the classroom, but rather, it also promotes “democratic” classrooms.

3. Community communications go beyond blogs and social media shares, how does a PLN help and hinder the development of thoughts and ideas in education discourse?

            PLN is a double-edged sword –it can either help develop or hinder the development of thoughts and ideas in education discourse. One of the advantages of PLN is that it allows learners to expand their network. In connection to this, Veletsianos said that, “The best part of this course is that it’s not ending. With the connections we’ve built, it never has to end (127). This means that even if the students are done with the course, their learning does not stop there because they could continue to learn with their PLN members. On the other hand, because PLN allows learners to connect with “literally” anyone, the teachers will not be able to keep their students under their surveillance. It is still necessary for teachers to track student activities online because there is a chance that they are exposed to a wrong kind of information.

4. How does the use of PLN raise awareness opportunities in education?

            As mentioned earlier, PLN allows learners to create a network, their own network. In this virtual network that students have created, students can organize events together and support each other’s advocacy. In this week’s video, Baker mentioned that PLN also allowed the indigenous people to talk about their experiences and their dream of reconciliation (Miller 7:26). Put in other words, PLN allows learners to get the information form the authentic source. This means that learners become more exposed to the problems that they become more inclined to solve it.

5. What is the role of social media in education?

            Social media can make students’ learning active and interactive. For example, when searching for the necessary information, learners can search through their social media to look for the additional information (Veletsianos 127). In addition to this, social media also allows learners to ask questions to each other or sometimes ask for help. Without social media, I believe that it would be hard for learners to look for a support system that could help them throughout their learning.

6. What are some problems with social media communications in education settings?

            Social media exposes learners to a variety of information that they often experience information overload. When there are just too much information that can be found online, I suggest that teachers provide guide questions or checklist that students can use as they try to learn new things on their own. The guide questions and checklist will prevent students from getting lost and it will also help them assure that they are doing the right thing.

Works Cited

Miller, Jesse. “EDCI 338 Brad Baker.” YouTube, 5 Mar. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy63SmEpvCw.

Veletsianos, George. “Developing Personal Learning Networks for Open and Social Learning.” Emerging Technologies in Distance Education, Au P, 2010, pp. 109-128.

1. Identify the risks and benefits of engaging with a public audience in a media space – what are the risks for a public figure or person in a position of trust (educator, lawyer, government official)?

Some of the risks of engaging with a public discourse with a public audience in the media space is that one’s opinions or views will be exposed to the public who can disagree with him/her. This kind of communication set-up results to division due to varying beliefs and perspectives. For the journalists, engaging with a public discourse is their bread and butter. However, Martin Hirst explained it is almost impossible to make a living from freelance journalism (142). This only means that for the journalists, the risk of involving in a public discourse would have something to do with the money that they are making. On the other hand, engaging in a public discourse also has its benefits like it can shape the public opinion and it can also help the public become informed. Just recently, I followed Doctors on Social Media (@somedocs) on Twitter and I learned that random people can ask them health-related questions and they often leave a reply. This way, Doctors on Social Media helps dismiss myths about health and they also give people free medical advise.

2. How to best address negative replies and critiques reflective of your personal values and employer social media policy?

In this week’s video lecture, Jodi Vance, the first woman in Canada to host her own sports show in prime time on national sports network, explained that establishing one’s reputation can be very difficult but ironically, it can also be easily ruined (Miller 21:37). By saying “establishing reputation can be very difficult” she was pertaining to the days when she was handing out bumber stickers to promote the radio station that she was working on. More so, she was also pertaining to doing volunteer work for Greater Vancouver Open so that she can expand her network. In connection to this, the people who engage in public discourse should make sure that credibility of the information they share with others or else no one will ever attempt to believe in them again. More so, in addressing negative replies, people engaging in public discourse must know when to stop (Miller 19:50). It is important for people to know when to stop in order to prevent problems from getting out of control.

3-4 How do notable individuals use social media? What are the benefits of being in the public eye and having a PLN?

Notable individuals use their social media to create and expand their network. In the case of the administrators of Doctors on Social Media (@somedocs), they were able to extend their services and expertise to people who rarely goes to the hospital for medical check-up. In addition, using Twitter also helped them reach people who cannot afford to go the hospital for annual check-up. In the case of journalists, on the other hand, they use social media to keep the public informed.

5. Building community with online tools provided by the employer can be limiting, what are the perceived restrictions and benefits?

Using restricted online tools provided by the company can help the organization better communicate with their employees. This is because this particular online tool is specifically designed for the effective communication between and among employees. Nevertheless, the online tools provided by the company does not enable integration. This means that outside work, there is no means for employees to reach each other for personal reasons like inviting them to a party. Unless the employees would give each other’s personal social media accounts.

6. Delivering information in a connected society requires verifiable resources, how to build a PLN to rely on?

In order to build a PLN that I could rely on, the first thing I did is to check whether the people I am following are legitimate or not. Moreover, I also look into the content that they are posting and fact-check the content of their posts. Lastly, whenever I saw misinformation in my social media I usually report it and send a personal message to one who posted the information to politely request them to take down their post.

7. How do those, who are veteran storytellers, minimize risk in sharing misinformation?

From what I learned from Martin Hirst, I could utilize “citizen journalism” in order to acquire reliable stories to share with others. The digital age allowed individuals to participate and collaborate in the creation of an information. With the help of the people, I could guarantee that my contents are monitored and double-checked.

Works Cited

Hirst, Martin. ” Social Journalism and the Gig Economy.” Navigating Social Journalism: A Handbook for Media Literacy and Citizen Journalism, Routledge, 2018, pp. 142-147.

Miller, Jesse. “EDCI 338 – Jody Vance.” YouTube, 1 Mar. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgZOJgJkdyI.

 

 

 

 

1. Community engagement is public communications – what are the benefits of a diverse and inclusive PLN in social media sharing that understands where you are coming from with messaging that impacts the community?

One of the benefits of having a diverse PLN in social media is that your posts or “voice” can reach a variety of people. This means that when you post an informative post on the prevention of COVID-19 and you have 100,000 followers, that means that you were able to reach at least 100,000 people. Additionally, it can be considered as a bonus if these 100,000 followers understand where you are coming from because they are more likely to support your post and share it others. In other words, aside from the 100,000 followers that you already have, you could also reach the followers of your followers. In connection to this, one of the possible reasons why Markiel Simpson succeeded in promoting the representation of the Blacks in school curriculum is because he was able to reach the right people. By saying “the right people,” these are the people who supported his advocacy and called the attention of departments or other organization who can take action. As a result, Simpson will be able to fulfill his goal to have the Blacks treated with dignity (Global News Morning BC 01:26-01:30). If efforts like these will push through, time will come that there will be one who is marginalized or disenfranchised.

2. How does social media engage in advocacy communications?

Social media engage in advocacy communications through connecting people belonging in the same network. In the case of Markiel Simpson, he used Twitter to promote his advocacy. Even though it took him a long time to get the attention of the proper organization, his calls to action were soon responded by people in positions of power (Miller 15:20). This is actually in line with his commonly used hashtags which are #StrongerTogether and #TogetherWeRise (Miller 15:38). Simpson’s hashtags implies that with just him alone, he would not be able to make a change. That is why he needed the help of others to help him realize his plans. Without the social media, it would be hard for Simpson to look for the right people and engage with them. Just as Clark and Aufderheide explained, “Public media 1.0 was also limited in generating vigorous public conversations by the one- to- many structure of mass media.”(57) In this kind of public media, disemminating information and connecting with the right kind of people will definitely take a long time.

3. How does social media use in public discourse potentially challenge advocacy communications?

Even if the social media can be a good tool that facilitates discussion among different groups of people, social media use in public discourse can potentially challenge advocacy communications because there no clear policy yet with regard to the use of social media (Clark & Aufderheide 62). This means that when people say negative things online, there is no guarantee that these people will be held accountable for what they said. Because of this, it was easy for people to bash or discriminate others. Also, users need to be very careful in engaging in sensitive topics like politics because their employers might not like their political views and discriminate them because of it.

4. Does your PLN amplify the views of others?

I believe that my PLN amplify the views of others because I support others promote their advocacies through sharing their posts and tagging other people or organization that might be interested to it. I remember that on the onset of COVID-19, I made it a habit to retweet and favorite different infographics on the Corona Virus and how to stop it from spreading. Most people who originally created these infographics advocated for everyone’s safety and dissemination of credible and reliable information. Because COVID-19 is relatively new during that time, a single fake news can cause a panic so I made it a point to support those who are dedicated in spreading awareness on COVID-19.

5. How can we better use social media to build PLN?

In my case, I believe that I can better use social media to build PLN through creating good contents. Instead of making videos to entertain people, it would be better if content creators will focus on things that matter like education.

Works Cited

Clark, Jessica, and Patricia Aufderheide. “A New Vision for Public Media: Open, Dynamic, and Participatory.” Media and Social Justice, PDF file , Palgrave Macmillan, 2011, pp. 55-67.

Global News Morning BC. “New Campaign Calls for Better Representation of Black history in B.C schools.” Global News, 16 Nov. 2020, globalnews.ca/video/7465200/new-campaign-calls-for-better-representation-of-black-history-in-b-c-schools.

Miller, Jesse. “EDCI 338 – 2021 – 02 – 22 Markiel Simpson.” YouTube, 22 Feb. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCSpm1Lx8-A&feature=youtu.be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I first heard the world PLN, I thought that I still do not have it. However, after learning in class that PLN could be any groups where people learn from one another. In the previous readings, I was inspired by what Shelley Moore shared in one of her videos. According to her, students are more likely to be successful academically when they discussed the lesson with their peers. I would say that I agree with Moore, because in my case, whenever I did not get some of the concepts discussed by the professors during class discussion, I would seek help from my friends and it is actually a good thing that I learn the lessons through them. Now that everything is online, I could not only seek help from my friends but I could also seek the help of other teachers and professionals that I could connected with online. Just recently, I checked the #EdChat and #EconTwitter and it helped me expand my PLN. Aside from expanding my PLN, I also had an idea on how I could better improve my PLN.

I want my PLN to not just to help me but to help others as well. Just as Bianca Woods mentioned in her article, a PLN should not be a one-way street (73). This means that if I really wanted to get help through my PLN, I should also make it a point to make significant contributions that my PLN members could benefit from. One of the possible contributions that I can share in my PLN are infographics on basic economic terms and/or financial literacy. I have chosen these topics because I believe that people need to understand basic economic terms in order to better understand other topics in economics like financial literacy. Of course, my target audiences are not only Economic Majors like me. I also would like to reach young professionals who are planning their personal finances and those people who are struggling financially. In order to reach a wide variety of audiences, I believe that TikTok would be a great avenue.

While I was casually checking the trending TikTok videos last time, I came across a TikTok video of a kid who teaches people basic elements of music. Her videos are fun and interactive like as if she is talking to her audience. For instance, when she discussed the “Four On the Floor” concept in music, she played different popular music that follow this beat. She even mentioned that most of the songs that follow this beat are easy to dance to. After watching the short TikTok video, I had two realizations: (1) it is possible for people online to learn something new through a short video and (2) learning is really fun when it is entertaining. I am not into the technicalities of music but because I find her videos entertaining and her explanations easy to follow, I was encouraged to swipe up and check more of her videos. When I saw that the TikTok content creator has a lot of followers, I felt happy for her because she was able to reach a lot of people with a kind of content that actually makes sense.

Works Cited

Woods, Bianca. “Building your own PLN: seeking new insights and ideas? Expand your personal learning network.” T+D, vol. 67, no. 11, Nov. 2013, p. 70+. Gale OneFile: Business, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A348998538/ITBC?u=uvictoria&sid=ITBC&xid=1010abdf.

 

 

 

 

1. How diverse is your existing PLN?

Since I just recently created my PLN, I would say that my network is not that “diverse” enough. This is because I just recently followed and added people I personally know. Since I learned this week that learning can be more effective in diverse classrooms, I believe that it would be better to create a PLN with a diverse network (Moore, “A Conversation with Shelley Moore” 6:37). In building a diverse community, I will make it sure to not discriminate people because of their social status, race, personality, gender orientation, and etc.

2. In your PLN, are you learning from a variety of voices or are you the loudest in the room?

In my PLN, since I just recently created it, I still haven’t engaged in any of the discussion threads yet. This is because I am still getting acquainted to the people in my community and I would like to observe first. Based on my observation, no one in my PLN has the loudest voice in the room because everyone seems to know what they are talking about. It’s like as if we are all teachers teaching each other (Moore, “A Conversation with Shelley Moore” 6:30-6:35). In the long run, I believe that I will get used to my PLN and hopefully, I will be able to actively join in the next discussion threads in my PLN.

3. Do you participate in a silo of information sharing (similar themes or wide-range of interests)?

I am a type of person who wants to talk about different topics so when it comes to information sharing, I have a wide-range of interests. Also, I believe that participating in silo of information sharing or only dealing with information with similar themes would be equal to short-changing myself to a variety of information that are freely available online.

4. How can you use a diverse PLN to broaden your views of inclusion?

In her book titled One Without the Other: Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion, Shelley Moore discussed that educational reforms are happening on a global scale so many countries today are revising their curricula in order to move away from classrooms of wavy students (9). This means that inclusivity is one of the trend of education today and as a student, I should be well aware of that. To learn more about inclusivity, I will use my diverse PLN to establish contact with different online learners particularly those who have disability and special needs.

5. In your professional setting of choice, do you think inclusion is actively embraced?

Inclusion is actively embraced in my professional setting of choice because we do not “should each other.” Shelly Moore explained that a certain standard mark shall not be used to measure the students’ abilities. (Five More Minutes, It’s Not Easy Being Green, 2:50-2:55). Instead they should be given the freedom to answer the following questions: Where are you now? What is our next step?

6. What is the learning outcome of your PLN and how are you ensuring your exposure to diversity and inclusion?

My learning outcome for my PLN is to be able to engage myself in academic discourse with literally everyone. This means that if I could join in academic discussions and make significant posts or comments, that means that I learned something. In order to ensure my exposure to diversity and inclusion, I would ask my PLN members to create an advocacy with me. Just as Moore explained, it is not enough that students are together, they also need to have roles and responsibilities (The Evolution of Inclusion, 3:38).

7. How has your thinking about inclusion and PLN evolved after reviewing the videos and readings?

After reviewing the videos and readings, I learned that inclusion means acknowledging the unique skills and abilities of different learners and not forcing them a single formula of learning. In doing so, the learners are given the freedm to study what they want at their own pace. Also, I realized that students do not always have to listen to their teachers because they could also listen to their fellow students.

 

 

Works Cited

Five Moore Minutes. “Don’t Should on Me: It’s Not Easy being NOT Green.” YouTube, 6 Nov. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeRNhz0nGts&feature=youtu.be.

—. “The Evolution of Inclusion: The past and future of education.” YouTube, 2 Oct. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQgXBhPh5Zo&feature=youtu.be.

Moore, Shelley. One Without the Other: Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion. Portage & Main P, 2016.

—. “EDCI 338 A01 Week 5 A Conversation with Shelley Moore.” YouTube, 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGx0ejnMLVc&feature=youtu.be.

My V and R Mapping

1. What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?

According to David White, many people use Facebook privately in order to establish their professional network. I was not surprised when I read this because I also personally use Facebook to create my professional network. For example, I like the pages of the companies that I would like to be part of in the near future to check how the company is doing and to get to know the company as well. This is also a good preparation for the job interview because applicants must have a good background of the company that they are applying in. Another reason why some users use Facebook in creating their professional network is because it is also hassle-free and convenient to use. Facebook has a Messenger App that allows users to create chat rooms, conduct video conferences, and share videos and their screen. This means that if the user is already working and his/her co-worker is on their friend’s list, they can easy connect to one another and do job related task without using a different application.

2. What can you (as a student) consider to expand your professional learning network?

As a digital learner myself, I believe that Facebook is not the only digital platform that I can use to expand my professional learning network. I highly recommend that my fellow digital learners should also use blogging websites like WordPress, Wix, and LinkedIn. Creating and maintaining websites is not that hard as WordPress, Wix, and LinkedIn already provide templates that users can use so they do not have to do a lot of coding. In expanding my professional network, I post blogs that are relevant to my career. When it comes to my digital resume, it is not readily available there but there is a link in my website that web visitors can click if they want to request for my digital resume. I learned utilizing websites to create a professional identity online from my photographer friends. In creating their portfolios, they post their works so that their clients can already have an idea about their art style and aesthetics. This made me realize that I can also use website to create my digital portfolio and impress my future employers.

3. In your network, how can you create a digital identity/reputation?

As a professional in the future, I wanted to create a digital identity or reputation that matches my career. I believe that nobody will trust an economists who posts dank memes online. Accordingly, I created two social media accounts: one for personal use where I can post anything I want and the other one is for professional use which is clean and meant to impress my future employers. I did not use my real name in my personal account or else my future employers will still be able to find it and judge me because of that. In creating my digital identity in professional network, I make it a point to follow and add professionals as well. This way I will have an idea on how I could better manage my network. Also, as I have mentioned earlier, I also follow the companies to get to know them better. Of course, I am not only after the salary and other perks, I also would like to know if the advocacy of the company is aligned with my advocacies in life.

4. Consider what a local employer would do if you applied for a job with them – can they search the content, is it of benefit to the career path, does it hinder the opportunity of employment?

I believe that if a local employer would search my name online, which I always do to verify if my personal accounts are really hard to find, I will be able to establish a professional digital identity. This is because employers can be easily lead to my website where they can see my blogs and request for my digital resume. The employers will also have enough ideas about me as my website also showcases my skills and hobbies.

Works Cited

White, David. “V&R Mapping at Educause.” David White, 19 Nov. 2012, daveowhite.com/vr-mapping-at-educause/.

 

1. What is a digital identity?

People or a group of people’s digital identity online refers to the activities they do online. To borrow the words of Eric Stoller, digital identity refers to people’s digital footprint which is any body of work, portfolio, or blog (0:20-0:30). Digital identities are created based on the preferences of users. For example, when a certain online user loves to listen to classical music, he or is likely to be engaged with people, post, or share something related to classical music. In line with this, in the article entitled, Identity-Making and Social Media, Karl Spracklen explained that a fans of sports, music and other forms of popular culture can use the internet to discuss their private obsessions with their fellow fans (94-95). This explains why people’s digital identity is related to what they like. Nevertheless, this is not always the case for digital identity can be created based on the identity that users are trying to project. Erick Stoller mentioned that some employers “stalk” their applicants profile as some form of pre-interview (0:45-0:49). If this is the case, then users need to be wise in creating their digital identities and create one that will be approved by their (future) employers.

2. How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?

Eric Stoller mentioned that there are some people who “dented” their career because of something that they have posted online (0:50-0:54). This is alarming because this only implies that whatever we post online, regardless if we are just making a joke or we are serious about it, it will still affect our career. For this reason, if we really wanted to create a professional digital identity, it would be better if we will be more careful with what we post. Particularly, before posting anything, we should ask ourselves questions like: “What would my boss think about this? How would my employers react to this? However, one might argue and say that they use social media as their emotional outlet or for some personal reasons. For example, some people use social media to connect with their own community (Spracklen 95). In cases like these, it would be advisable for professionals to create “alternate accounts.” In this account, professional social media users will not fear judgments from their clients or boss.

3. How do digital identities converge in networked publics – what are the impacts and/or benefits?

Different digital identities converge in networked publics when people do online discussions, create online communities, and add/follow other users. The convergence of digital identities has positive impacts because it helps people establish their sense of belongingness (Sprackle 95). In addition to this, convergence of digital identities enable people to learn from other people as well. However, the downside of the convergence of digitial identities is when one’s personal digital identity overlapped with his/her professional digital identity. The overlap of professional and personal digital identity happens when users do not responsibly use their personal and professional digital account. As mentioned earlier, personal and professional digital identities should not overlap especially when what one is sharing and posting in his/her personal account is not fit for a professional.

4. Can a digital wallet provide trust in networked publics?

In my opinion, digital wallet can be trusted especially when you know how to keep your vital information private. Internet users should not only be familiar with different digital tools that they could use but they should also be aware of how fraudulent activities are done online. It is true that a lot of fraudulent activities are done online and many had already been victimized by it. However, I do not think that that it is reason enough to not push through with digital wallets. According to Manyika, 1.7 billion will be more “financially included and participative” if they have access to digital IDs (9:25-9:30). This means that online wallet can help governments promote financial independence.

 

Works Cited

Eric Stoller. “What is Digital Identity?” YouTube, University of Derby, 25 Nov. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RryRbJza0&feature=youtu.be.

Spracklen, Karl. “Identity-Making and Social Media.” Digital Leisure, the Internet and Popular Culture, 2015, pp. 94-112.

World Economic Forum. “Davos 2019 – Press Conference The Value of Digital Identity for the Global Economy and Society.” YouTube, 6 Feb. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-V7lyxrOmw&feature=youtu.be.